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Tang Kai set out to do one thing at ONE 160: Ok vs. Lee II, and that was to obliterate Thanh Le.
While he didn’t get to complete the objectives of his mission, Tang still did a stellar job of taking the unanimous decision win and becoming the new ONE featherweight world champion.
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The Chinese star methodically tagged Le’s legs and took away the former world champion’s explosive striking. When he felt that he had his opponent on the backfoot, Tang went in for the kill and pushed the pace looking for that highlight-reel finish.
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Le, however, managed to survive. However, Tang’s overall aggressiveness and pinpoint striking proved to be the difference-maker in the eyes of the judges.
With the win, Tang kept his perfect record in ONE Championship and he’s now at an impressive 7-0.
With such a commanding performance in his first world title victory and against a man who previously held a perfect record in the promotion, it’s a tempting proposition to think about what’s next for Tang.
Featherweight is probably the most exciting division in ONE Championship and the organization won’t have a hard time finding a worthy challenger for the young world champion.
It can be argued that Le deserves an immediate rematch against Tang, while former featherweight king and No.3-ranked contender Martin Nguyen could also get another crack at the gold he once held.
No.2-ranked contender Kim Jae Woong is also a viable option, but he first needs to rack up a couple of high-profile victories before he can challenge Tang Kai in what should be an explosive rematch between two aggressive strikers.
If there’s no clear-cut challenger for Tang, there’s always the proposition of a massive crossover bout against either featherweight world champions in Muay Thai or kickboxing.
Reigning ONE featherweight kickboxing world champion Superbon Singha Mawynn has expressed a desire to go into mixed martial arts. While it may be a long shot, a bout between the two world champions will certainly be exciting for fans.
Whichever the case may be, Tang Kai is poised to be a massive force and could very well hold the ONE featherweight world title for a long time.
Tang Kai gives respect to Thanh Le
Tang Kai went on a trash-talking crusade heading into his world title shot against Le, but the Chinese star admitted that it was all to build up the fight and he has a world of respect for his older opponent.
Le is 10 years older than the 26-year-old Chinese fighter, and it’s this massive age gap that the Sunkin International Fight Club regularly picked on.
During his in-ring interview with Mitch Chilson, Tang Kai said he didn’t expect how much grit Le has and that he didn’t foresee the Vietnamese-American star to stand with him for every second of the match:
“Thanh Le is much tougher of an opponent than I expected. I want to thank Thanh Le for putting on such a great show. I didn’t expect it at his age, in his 30s. He still has such great stamina. I really really respect this opponent.”
